Over the course of the 2018 NBA Summer League, Houston Rockets rookie guard De’Anthony Melton showed why he could be considered as the steal of the draft. Have we seen a player who is currently like him?
Prior to sitting out a full season of basketball, De’Anthony Melton showed flashes of why many NBA scouts once considered him to be a first round prospect during his freshman campaign at USC.
The 20-year-old guard — who was suspended indefinitely by the school after being linked to the NCAA bribery scandal last year — averaged 8.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game through 36 contests with the Trojans, en route to earning an honorable mention nod on the All-Pac-12 Defensive Team in his lone season with the program.
Now, Melton appears to have finally made it past the storm, as the player who was selected with the 46th overall pick by the Houston Rockets in the 2018 NBA Draft put together several marquee performances at Summer League. He averaged 16.4 points, 7.2 rebounds and four assists through five games in Las Vegas.
He also displayed a game that bears a resemblance to current Los Angeles Clippers guard Avery Bradley, who is regarded by most of his peers as one of the game’s best perimeter defenders.
In a manner that is eerily similar to Bradley, Melton is an undersized combo guard, who can play either on or off the ball and make up for his size deficiency thanks to his explosiveness, strength and lengthy wingspan. Melton is an above-the-rim athlete who can score in a variety of ways, and use his speed to create opportunities either for himself or his teammates when driving inside or drawing contact against opposing defenses.
However, Melton’s game is not all predicated on offense, as the 6’3″, 190-pound product is also a solid defender who can hold his own against his counterparts like Bradley.
Melton — who led the Rockets and all players at Summer League with three steals per game — possesses the ability to read passing lanes, and tremendous recovery speed he uses to help his team gather stops and block shots.
In a head-to-head Summer League matchup against Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Collin Sexton, Melton was able to limit the No. 8 overall pick to just 17 points on 5-of-17 shooting, while also garnering a swat against the former Alabama standout for good measure.
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Although Melton has a way to go before being regarded as one of the best two-way players in the game, no one can deny that he does not have the potential to evolve into one as time goes along, as his overall upside makes him an intriguing prospect to watch in the years to come.
The rookie has shown the ability to be a very alert player at both ends of the floor as a guy who can pass, shoot and score at a high level. Rockets fans should be very intrigued by the small sample size they have seen thus far.
Should Melton find a way to live up to all of the hype, then there is a strong possibility that he could be the steal of the draft after all.